Accenture vs BNP Paribas: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: Accenture and BNP Paribas side by side

1. 1848BNP Paribas

   Comptoir national d'escompte de Paris founded

   Created by decree in March 1848 to restart commercial credit after the February Revolution, with capital from private subscribers, the City of Paris and the State. It is the oldest root of the BNP side of the group.

2. 1860BNP Paribas

   First overseas branches in Shanghai and Calcutta

   The Comptoir opened branches in Shanghai and Calcutta, becoming the first French bank to build a branch network abroad from scratch, later adding Hong Kong, London, San Francisco and Sydney.

3. 1872BNP Paribas

   Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas formed

   The Banque de Paris, founded in 1869, merged on 27 January 1872 with Louis-Raphaël Bischoffsheim's Amsterdam-based Nederlandsche Credit- en Deposito Bank to create the investment bank later known as Paribas.

4. 1889BNP Paribas

   Comptoir rescued after the copper crash

   Losses on industrialist Eugène Secrétan's attempt to corner the copper market forced the Comptoir d'escompte de Paris into liquidation, backed by a 100-million-franc Banque de France advance. It was refounded in June 1889 as a deposit bank.

5. 1953Accenture

   Arthur Andersen GE feasibility study

   Arthur Andersen's administrative services group, led by Joseph Glickauf, carries out a study for General Electric on computerizing payroll at Appliance Park in Louisville, Kentucky.

6. 1966BNP Paribas

   Banque Nationale de Paris created

   Finance minister Michel Debré merged the state-owned CNEP and Banque nationale pour le commerce et l'industrie (BNCI) to form Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP).

7. 1982BNP Paribas

   Paribas nationalised

   The Mauroy government nationalised Paribas, which adopted its telegraph address, Paribas, as its brand that year.

8. 1987BNP Paribas

   Paribas privatised

   The Chirac government returned Paribas to private ownership in January 1987.

9. 1989Accenture

   Andersen Consulting formed

   Arthur Andersen and Andersen Consulting become separate units of Andersen Worldwide Societe Cooperative, with George Shaheen as managing partner and CEO of the consulting unit. The more profitable unit pays the other up to 15% of profits.

10. 1993BNP Paribas

    BNP privatised

    BNP was privatised in October 1993 under chairman Michel Pébereau.

11. 1997Accenture

    Arbitration with Arthur Andersen begins

    Andersen Consulting files an arbitration claim with the International Chamber of Commerce, arguing that Arthur Andersen broke their agreement by building its own competing consulting practice.

12. 1999BNP Paribas

    Three-way takeover battle

    Société Générale bid for Paribas, and BNP answered with offers for both banks. BNP won control of Paribas but failed to take Société Générale.

13. 2000Accenture

    Arbitration ruling and Avanade

    In April 2000 Andersen Consulting and Microsoft form Avanade, a joint venture now majority owned by Accenture.

14. 2000BNP Paribas

    BNP Paribas created

    The merger of BNP and Paribas was completed in May 2000, combining BNP's retail network with Paribas's investment banking.

15. 2001Accenture

    Rename to Accenture and NYSE IPO

    Andersen Consulting becomes Accenture on Jan 1, 2001, a name based on "Accent on the future" suggested by an employee in Oslo. The Bermuda-incorporated company prices its IPO at $14.50 per share and starts trading on the NYSE on July 19, 2001.

16. 2001BNP Paribas

    Full ownership of BancWest

    BNP Paribas agreed to buy the 55% of BancWest, parent of Bank of the West and First Hawaiian Bank, that it did not already own for about $2.45 billion. The Federal Reserve approved the deal on 4 December 2001.

17. 2004Accenture

    William D. Green becomes CEO

    William D. Green succeeds Joe Forehand as CEO on Sept 1, 2004; Forehand remains chairman.

18. 2006BNP Paribas

    BNL acquired in Italy

    BNP Paribas bought Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, making Italy its second domestic retail market.

19. 2009Accenture

    Reincorporation in Ireland

    On May 26, 2009 the board approves moving the company's place of incorporation from Bermuda to Ireland, which remains its legal domicile.

20. 2009BNP Paribas

    Fortis Bank acquired in Belgium

    In May 2009 BNP Paribas took control of Fortis Bank, now BNP Paribas Fortis, paying with new shares issued to the Belgian state and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It also bought 25% of AG Insurance for ~$1.55 billion (€1.375 billion).

21. 2011Accenture

    Pierre Nanterme becomes CEO

    Pierre Nanterme becomes CEO in January 2011. The same year Accenture completes its purchase of insurance software company Duck Creek Technologies.

22. 2013Accenture

    Fjord acquisition

    Accenture agrees in May 2013 to acquire Fjord, a service design consultancy, adding design capacity to Accenture Interactive.

23. 2014BNP Paribas

    US sanctions guilty plea

    BNP Paribas pleaded guilty in New York and agreed to pay about $8.9 billion for processing dollar transactions for Sudan, Iran and Cuba in breach of US sanctions.

24. 2016Accenture

    Duck Creek stake sold to Apax

    Funds advised by Apax Partners buy a 60% stake in Duck Creek Technologies from Accenture, which keeps 40%.

25. 2019Accenture

    CEO transition and Droga5

    Nanterme steps down for health reasons on Jan 11, 2019 and CFO David Rowland becomes interim CEO. Accenture Interactive completes the purchase of creative agency Droga5, and Julie Sweet becomes CEO on Sept 1, 2019.

26. 2022Accenture

    Accenture Song

    On April 26, 2022 Accenture Interactive begins going to market as Accenture Song. FY2022 revenue rises 22% to $61.59B.

27. 2023Accenture

    $3B Data & AI investment

    In June 2023 Accenture announces a $3B investment over three years in its Data & AI practice and a plan to double AI talent to 80,000 people.

28. 2023BNP Paribas

    Bank of the West sold to BMO

    BNP Paribas completed the $16.3 billion cash sale of Bank of the West to BMO Financial Group on 1 February 2023, leaving US retail banking.

29. 2024Accenture

    Udacity acquisition

    Accenture completes its purchase of online education company Udacity on May 20, 2024 to support its Accenture LearnVantage training business.

30. 2025Accenture

    FY2025 results and restructuring

    FY2025 revenue reaches $69.67B with $80.62B in new bookings. In September 2025 Accenture outlines a six-month, $865M business optimization program, mainly severance, and moves to a single Reinvention Services unit.

31. 2025BNP Paribas

    AXA Investment Managers acquired

    BNP Paribas Cardif completed the ~$5.76 billion (€5.1 billion) purchase of AXA IM on 1 July 2025 and signed a long-term partnership to manage a large part of AXA's assets.

32. 2025BNP Paribas

    Sudan jury verdict

    A Manhattan federal jury found BNP Paribas liable to three Sudanese refugees in October 2025 and awarded $20.75 million. The bank is appealing.

33. 2026Accenture

    Faculty and Ookla deals

    Accenture completes the acquisition of UK AI company Faculty on March 16, 2026 and agrees in March 2026 to buy Ziff Davis's connectivity division (Ookla, Speedtest, Downdetector) for $1.2B in cash. Q3 FY2026 revenue is $18.72B.

34. 2026BNP Paribas

    Ageas partnership reset

    On 28 April 2026 BNP Paribas Fortis sold its 25% of AG Insurance to Ageas for ~$2.15 billion (€1.9 billion) and renewed their Belgian bancassurance partnership, while Cardif raised its Ageas stake to 22.5%.

35. 2026BNP Paribas

    Arval completes Athlon purchase

    Arval completed its purchase of Athlon from Mercedes-Benz Group on 31 July 2026, reaching a combined fleet of 2.3 million vehicles.

Acquisitions

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